{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,11,5]],"date-time":"2026-11-05T06:21:27Z","timestamp":1793859687252,"version":"4.6.1"},"reference-count":49,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,18]],"date-time":"2022-02-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1645142400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a serious public health challenge despite enormous eradication efforts. Indigenous groups worldwide have a higher TB incidence and associated delayed sputum\u2013smear conversion. The aim of this case\u2013control study was to determine the epidemiology and factors associated with delayed sputum\u2013smear conversion among Malaysian aborigines. Methods: We used secondary data from 2016 to 2020 in the MyTB surveillance system. Malaysian aborigines with smear-positive pulmonary TB were enrolled and followed until the end of the intensive phase. Descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: Of 725 Malaysian aborigines with pulmonary TB, 572 (78.9%) were smear-positive and 487 (78.9%) fulfilled the study criteria. The mean (SD) age of smear-positive pulmonary TB was 39.20 (16.33) years. Majority of participants were male (63%), Senoi tribe (54.9%), living in rural areas (88.1%), formally educated (60.4%) and living below the poverty line (97.1%). Overall, 93 (19.1%) of 487 patients showed delayed sputum-smear conversion and significantly associated factors, such as smoking (AdjOR: 3.25; 95% CI: 1.88, 5.59), diabetes mellitus (AdjOR: 12.84; 95% CI: 6.33, 26.06), and HIV infection (AdjOR: 9.76; 95% CI: 3.01, 31.65). Conclusions: Stakeholders should adopt targeted approaches to tackle the problem of aboriginal groups with pulmonary TB and these associated risk factors to realise the End TB target.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19042365","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,21]],"date-time":"2022-02-21T08:18:05Z","timestamp":1645431485000},"page":"2365","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Delayed Sputum Smear Conversion in Malaysian Aborigines with Smear-Positive Pulmonary Tuberculosis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"Muhammad Naim","family":"Ibrahim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6798-0838","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nik Rosmawati","family":"Nik Husain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2706-1175","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Aziah","family":"Daud","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Thilaka","family":"Chinnayah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"TB and Leprosy Control Sector, Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health Malaysia, Putrajaya 62590, Malaysia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,2,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"WHO (2020, May 25). 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